Featured Issue

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, and Switzer Fellows are working on the problem from every conceivable angle. From energy experts who are researching solar, geothermal, and fracking technologies, to others analyzing the impact of solar installations on the environment to policy analysts advising state and the federal agencies move in a more sustainable direction, Switzer Fellows are some of the nation’s leaders on climate change and renewable energy.

Fellows:

Are you a homeowner, interested in finding ways to make your home or investment property more sustainable? Then listen to Beverly Craig (1994) discuss lessons learned from six years working on improving the water and energy performance of multifamily affordable housing with Homeowner's Rehab, a nonprofit that owns over 1,000 units of affordable housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They "green" their portfolio by installing energy efficient devices in their properties, which helps them meet both financial and social goals.

She answers questions including:

Why do buildings matter when it comes to CO2 production?

How do you find out how your home measures up to others in your neighborhood?

Spotlight on Leadership

2014 Fellow Andrea Adams’s dissertation research involves the study of disappearing frogs in Southern California. “One species, the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) disappeared from the region during a short period of time in the mid-1960s to early 1970s,” Andrea explains. “One thing that can cause such rapid declines in amphibians is the pathogenic amphibian chytrid fungus. I study this fungus’s distribution and disease dynamics in different amphibian species in Southern California to see if it could have been a major contributing factor to the disappearance of the foothill yellow-legged frog in the region. To do this, I conduct molecular work in the laboratory, as well as field and museum work.”Read more >

The realization that individual action has little to no impact on major environmental problems — to say nothing of the existential threat of climate change — can prompt despair, 1995 Fellow Paul Steinberg, a professor of political science and environmental policy at Harvey Mudd College, says. But it doesn’t have to. We could try, instead, consulting social scientists, who have spent a lot of time thinking about just this problem: How can a single individual can act in a way that effects large-scale change?Read more >

Related Grants

Amazon Watch is partnering with Dr. Tracey Osborne to lead the Climate Alliance Mapping Project. This project is a critical piece in a larger climate equity campaign with Amazon Watch, the Sierra...Read more >

This grant will support a second year of Brenda Zollitsch's work as Policy Analyst at the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM). Last year, ASWM was awarded a $30,000 Switzer Leadership...Read more >

Featured Issue

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, and Switzer Fellows are working on the problem from every conceivable angle. From energy experts who are researching solar, geothermal, and fracking technologies, to others analyzing the impact of solar installations on the environment to policy analysts advising state and the federal agencies move in a more sustainable direction, Switzer Fellows are some of the nation’s leaders on climate change and renewable energy.